Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in South Korea
South Korea: Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index was 0.857 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in South Korea, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality-adjusted human development index in South Korea stood at 0.857. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality-adjusted human development index in South Korea peaked at 0.857 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.798, in 2010.
South Korea ranks 18th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.798 | — |
| 2011 | 0.805 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.811 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.817 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.824 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.827 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.833 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.837 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.84 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.843 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.844 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 0.85 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.846 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.857 | +1.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.857 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.836, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.857 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6285, 1.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.8235 | 0.798 | 0.843 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8492 | 0.844 | 0.857 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 16 United Arab Emirates 0.866 compare
- 17 Austria 0.861 compare
- 19 New Zealand 0.853 compare
- 20 Japan 0.845 compare
- 21 Malta 0.843 compare
More poverty & inequality data for South Korea
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.72 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,615 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.0454 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 26.87 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 26.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality-adjusted human development index in South Korea?
- Inequality-adjusted human development index in South Korea was 0.857 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.857 in 2023.
- What is the lowest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.798 in 2010.
- How does South Korea rank for inequality-adjusted human development index?
- South Korea ranks 18th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality-adjusted human development index rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living, adjusted for inequalities in these dimensions. Higher values indicate higher and more equal human development.